The Dichotomy of Ben Tennyson
by mak89
Summary: Burdened by his tragic past but at the same time tempted by the courage of his various heroic counterparts,Ben Tennyson begins the journey to become extraordinary in the world filled with magic, mutants , superheroes and dangerous supervillains. However, There was just no such thing as a perfect choice, a perfect outcome. In this world or any other.


Ben Tennyson felt really conflicted right now. A part of him screamed at him about not doing this but a part him which happened to be slightly more dominant at the moment, nudged him to go on. He knew this was wrong but the temptation, especially after everything he had been through...seemed a bit too much for a teenager such like him to resist.

He used to be an ordinary miserable seventeen year old. The only positive thing he could recall about himself was the fact that he worked hard and never complained much. He led an extremely dull life. He was tired of being a punching bag to everyone. Granted he wasn't bullied as much ever since they arrived in New York, Things were definitely a lot better than they were back at Bellwood. Harvey Broxtel, who happened to be the big bad wolf in his current High school, didn't specifically seek him out like Cash and JT did. Besides Ben knew how to stay out the Jock types' way. However that didn't make him any less of a pariah. He didn't have much friends. Apart from usual lab room partner Rex Salazar and Miss " Bossy Know it all " Julie Yamamoto. And last but not the least, his very own, a couple of years older cousin Gwen Tennyson. Though at this point she had gotten really naggy and annoying, like a pseudo parent.

He always wanted to be an athlete. He wanted to play soccer, he wanted to be inside the school's team but after his traumatizing experiences with Bellwood High, He didn't know whether he could step up even for the playoffs. He heard a lot of things about Flash and his buddies, from what he could gather, it would be really wise of him to stay away from them as much as possible. He no longer possessed the strength to fight back. However he wasn't alway like this. There was a time when he was used to be a bright kid with ferocious attitude. He wasn't afraid of anybody and he was really confident in himself. But one day, his father Carl Tennyson, A brilliant chemist working at Oscorp industries passed away due to an incurable disease that his mother and grandfather paid thousands of dollars attempting to cure. Leaving them nearly bankrupt. Grandpa Max sold his house and Plumber's shop at a heavy discount but that wasn't enough. They hoped to get something from the company insurance but the compensation they received was really miniscule in comparison of what Carl was promised when he joined. Afterwards his life continued to take a downward spiral.

In addition to all that a year later, his grandfather , someone he idolized more than anything in this entire world, committed suicide out of severe depression and anxiety. Ben still found it hard to believe but that's what the cops said. He always thought he was bound to lead an extremely miserable and unhappy life as long as he lived but recently something happened to him. Fifteen days ago, on a fateful night, He came to learn about the existence of parallel dimensions. Not only that, He was a superhero in every dimension apart from this one. He also got to learn about the awe inspiring scientific wonder called omnitrix which allowed it's bearer to transform into any alien species he/she desired to. He even got to wield it for one time and actually save the day.

Like an actual superhero. That was awesome.

When everything else seemed to be over, And his good heroic versions were vaporized , He jumped in like a bad-ass, Put the awesome alien tech on his wrist, travelled through time and alternative universes , wrestled against his evil versions of ...himself and defeated a highly dangerous intergalactic warlord. That was surely a life changing experience and after that Ben couldn't claim to be the same person ever again. Unfortunately, that power was taken away from him as soon as the task was finished. His good counterparts reassured him that the omnitrix was just a tool, it was the user who mattered the most. Ben wasn't much convinced about that though but he couldn't do much apart from begging. Which he tried but didn't work. He did get something from them though. Something that Ben Prime would never imagine even in his wildest dreams. He got a hair of Ben 10000 , the oldest but arguably most experienced and powerful version of himself.

On one hand, that didn't seem like much of an achievement but for his "plan" this could very well be the secret ingredient he needed to add in the formula Gwen was working on.

He held a syringe in his hand, staring at the cerulean blue liquid which appeared to be really tranquil at the first glance.

He knew Gwen had spent many restless nights at ESU lab for this. There had been multiple failures and countless dumps but she had finally succeeded. While Ben didn't happen to be the academic genius his cousin was, he was good at working hard and following instructions. He studied a lot about this subject as well. His part in the lab was mainly limited to work on mundane stuff, doing mundane test and performing mundane reports. He was still a part of this project. He knew the ins and outs of this place really well.

His hand trembled slightly. He was about to betray his cousin and his employer's trust inside of him. There was no room for failure. This has to work. This must work.

Suddenly his phone rang, breaking him out of his stupor. Ben shook his head, looking around his surroundings as if he had been seeing things for the first time. He answered the call on probably the fourth ring, after fumbling around to getting it. Though it took one hell of a balancing act to not drop the syringe on his left hand.

"Dr. Wirtham?"

"Ben, It's nearly three in the morning." Dr. Elias Wirtham spoke in a tone which was supposed to be reprimanding. Though Ben knew he was no stranger to late nights. They sometimes played World of Warcraft from the same server.

"I know. I am working on this project report, writing codes can be a bit trickier sometimes. " Ben flinched. Unable to believe how easily he was able to lie to the man he respected so much. It felt as bad as lying to his own mother.

 _"Have fun at the party, don't worry about the curfew, just don't come too late"_

 _"_ Geez, I feel like your cousin and mom are definitely going to rip off my head some day." A chuckle came from another line. Dr Wirtham used to be an old batchmate of Carl when he went to Stanford and he had been really supportive of him and his family during these crucial time. No wonder Ben felt himself almost crushed under the guilt he felt right now. He really tried to smile for one last time though.

"It's alright Dr Wirtham, Mum knows what I am doing, Besides she had to go to that medical camp anyways."

"I am just a bit worried about you, that's all."

"I know Uncle El, I really appreciate this but like I told you, _I am really fine._ "

"Alright Benjy, just take care of yourself." Dr Wirtham sighed in defeat.

Ben paused for a moment, taking a shirt glance at the syringe on his other hand, "I will." He said, his voice shaking for a moment before he hung up the phone. Taking a final look at Gwen and Wirtham's notes from the lab's official server, he busied himself with the preparations. Trying his hardest to avoid remembering the faces of the most important people in his life.

Mom, Gwen, Dr Wirtham

Rex Salazar

Elena Validus

Ben told himself many things. He made many excuses justifying his actions and it did work out when he was going through the preparations. At the very least it kept him motivated. It kept him thinking and in a way allowed him to keep a keen eye on this subject. However right now, when he was so close to achieve breakthrough , for the very first time in his entire life (The omnitrix didn't count as that was instantly taken away from him)

Needle held high in the air, he took a long breath, trying to answer the wriggling question back in his head.

Why was he going through with this?

If he was doing this, he really needed to find an answer to that question. And once he reflected on his thoughts, it became really clear to him. He wanted the strength to fight his own battles in his life. He was tired of being the pushover he had turned into ever since his father passed away. He wanted to be a hero, just like Ben Prime. He didn't want to be considered a loser his entire life. He wanted to be the person he was during the very few moments he was fortunate enough to wield the omnitrix.

Now clear from every doubt, Ben shoved the syringe inside his neck , flinching a bit after feeling the pain which followed by the stab. Without wasting any moment he pushed the injection using his thumb. It felt as if the time had stood still and he could see every single drop of that fluid entering inside his body.

Ben immediately fell on his knees, reeling from the effects of improvised version of OZ serum (Which was also tinkered with the DNA from an alternate superhero version of himself). He swallowed as his mouth and throat turned completely dry. He was starting to have trouble with breathing. An electrifying sensation ran through his veins. Was he feeling side effects or this was how the serum worked? Whatever was happening, there was one thing for sure, Something was actually going on inside his body. This wasn't a failure. Despite his limited knowledge, he managed to create the perfect bio chemical agent. With the help from Gwen and Wirtham's notes though. However that didn't matter right now.

 _"It's hero time."_ Ben muttered to himself with a faint smile before he doubled over, his body racked with intense pain and agony, something which couldn't be explained in earthly words.

Transformation.

The process of morphing yourself into something better, something magnificent and powerful.

That's all he wanted. That's all he asked.

A tool to morph his pathetic useless loser self into something new, something better, something which could inspire the others.

It was the last thing on his mind before darkness took him.

 **So this is it. I didn't want to write a new story at this point but I really wanted break the ice and start writing again. Now I know my track record isn't very good at writing crossovers with comic book dynasties such as properties of DC and Marvel. It's a bit hard as people's interest seem almost zero regarding this subject. I have seen people who go on and on for a long time despite receiving basically one review per two or three chapter. Yes, I am talking about long properly edited stories. I don't have that sort of temperament. But I am going to give it a try as a sort of side project.**

 **Thanks for reading the story :) hope you enjoy it.**

 **Ta da**


End file.
